After all the Libtard whining about how Bush needed to build a coalition to make decisions about handling these critical matters in the MIDDLE EAST, HILLARY CLINTON SAYS BUSH SHOULD HAVE NOT LET THE EU AND UN HANDLE IRAN. DO THE LIBTARD IDIOTS THINK AMERICA IS THIS STUPID???????????

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last night criticized the Bush administration for its response to Iran's nuclear program, saying it had chosen to "downplay" the crisis over the past several years.

In a speech at Princeton University, Mrs. Clinton, a New York Democrat, joined the Bush administration's call for sanctions against Iran, and also said that the threat of military action against nuclear sites should not be ruled out.

But she was critical of the administration for letting European nations take the lead in negotiations over the last several years.

"I believe that we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations," Ms. Clinton said, according to a transcript of the speech published by The Daily Princetonian. "I don't believe you face threats like Iran or North Korea by outsourcing it to others and standing on the sidelines."

Since 2002 Britain, France and Germany have led talks meant to assure that Tehran's nuclear program would not give it the capacity to build weapons. The three countries last week declared that Iran's decision to resume nuclear research had brought the talks to an end, and, with the United States in support, asked that the matter be sent to the United Nations Security Council for possible action.

The Bush administration has long favored sanctions, but had deferred action at the request of the European nations, who convinced Iran in 2003 to suspend its nuclear program. Mr. Bush last week said that he would pursue a vigorous diplomatic push to get as many countries as possible on board for possible United Nations action. On North Korea, the Bush administration has refused that nation's request for direct talks over its nuclear program and instead has worked in concert with China, South Korea, Russia and Japan.

Iran today continued to give mixed signals in reaction to the push for a United Nations referral. Its oil minister, Davoud Danesh-Jafari, told the official Iranian news agency that "in case of sanctions, other countries will suffer as well as Iran."

"One of the consequences will be the unleashing of a crisis in the oil sector and particularly a price hike," he said, according to Reuters.

At the same time, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, told the BBC that his country wanted a compromise and hoped to resume the European talks.

"They should not ask a brave nation with very good scientists not to engage in nuclear research," he said. "If they want guarantees of no diversion of nuclear fuel we can reach a formula acceptable to both sides."

The United States and Europe have made clear that they will not accept any program that includes research that would give Tehran the know-how to develop weapons.

In her Princeton speech, Ms. Clinton spoke of the gravity of Iran's program in terms similar to those used by the Administration.

"Let's be clear about the threat we face," Ms. Clinton said. "A nuclear Iran is a danger to Israel, to its neighbors and beyond."

"We cannot and should not - must not - permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons," she said. "In order to prevent that from occurring, we must have more support vigorously and publicly expressed by China and Russia, and we must move as quickly as feasible for sanctions in the United Nations."

The United States and the European nations have called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Feb. 2, and have begun circulating a draft resolution that would refer Iran to the Security Council.

Russia and China have both expressed opposition to sanctions, at least at this point, and are reluctant even to support a Security Council referral. The United States and the European nations have sought to reassure Russia and China that, for now, referral to the Security Council will not necessarily lead to sanctions.

Last week, Senator Evan Bayh, an Indiana Democrat, said that the Bush administration was correct in not ruling out possible military action to block an Iranian nuclear weapons program, but stressed that force should only be used after every other measure had been exhausted.

In general, Democrats have been supportive of the administration decision to take a back seat to the Europeans in negotiations, and many have expressed alarm whenever the conservative Republicans engaged in a more aggressive posture toward Iran.

Ms. Clinton's speech last night laid out a markedly tougher approach. She has already been under fire from many liberal activists in the Democratic party for her support of the war in Iraq and refusal to call for an immediate American pullout.

Iraq also figured in Ms. Clinton's speech, as she so drew a link between the Iranian conflict and events there. Shiite parties with close links to Iran appear to have been the biggest winners in last month's Iraqi elections, whose final results are to be released soon.

"Part of the problem that we confront with Iran today is, of course, its involvement in and influence over Iraq," she said.

Ms. Clinton said she was against an immediate military pullout, but said the American military commitment should not be "open ended."

"If last December's elections lead to a successful Iraqi government, that should allow us to start drawing down our troops during this year while leaving behind a smaller contingent in safe areas with greater intelligence and quick-strike capabilities," she said.

"That will help us stabilize the new Iraqi government," Ms. Clinton said. "It will send a message to Iran that they do not have a free hand in Iraq despite their considerable influence and personal and religious connections there."

I hope the Republicans are taking notes... because when a libtard wins the Presidency some day, payback for the years of grandstanding, false moral superiority, lies and outright treachery is going to be a cold, hard b*tch.

Revisionist history. For those of you who don't think this woman has a chance of running and getting elected take note. The other day it was the Bush administration is one of the worst in history. Now the Bush administration is soft on terrorism. The libs are eating this shit up.

I am the signature virus, please put me in your signature so I can spreadQuis custodiet ipsos custodes"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety

She is def. no idiot. Take note of her gradual move toward the center from her previous hard hard hard left position.

She's positioning herself for a 08 POTUS run. No doubt.

Correct about her moving towards the center, but isn't this a step back to the left?

I don't think so. I see it, if anything, as a bit of a move to the right. She is criticizing him for not taking the lead with Iran, which is exactly what we did with Iraq. Now if Bush jumped in with both feet and took down Iran, she would be criticizing him for not consulting with the EU and UN.

Just about every thread posted here, someone reminds you it's Bush's fault. How could you forget? Don't you know he runs that place like a plantation? It's Bush's fault there was ever plantations to begin with.. Just look at what he did to New Orleans! Jeez... haveNo lube. 87 times.

1. The MSM will cherry pick whatever lines they want that make her look good.

2. The fucktards that actually vote Democrat have *VERY* short memories.

3. Truth and facts are irrelevant to Libtards. All that matters is how you feel and that you have a Pavlovian response to those feelings (ie: vote Democrat - blame Republicans).

If she runs anyone that opposes her is going to have to take off the gloves, tell the TRUTH every waking second and NEVER, EVER back down one single millimeter in pointing out the institutional hypocrisy and outright lies of the Democrats every time they speak.

"I suppose if you were really desperate, you could have sex with a big-enough fig, but still..."

If he didn't let the EU/UN take the lead, he'd take the heat. Now that he has let the EU/UN take the lead he still takes heat.

Yes, it's a step to the right for H.Clinton, and no she isn't stupid. Either way she would have made a high profile comment like she has, but this one makes her look less liberal and more moderate/conservative. She needs that segment of the population to win the White House.

Lets not forget that she--a 'carpet bagger' won the campaign in NYC on the first try. I think she has a good chance of winning the next Presidential election.

She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend Iwould meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The sailor consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot airballoon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feetabove sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolled her eyes and yelled down, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technicallycorrect, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'mstill lost. Frankly, you've been no help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "Then you must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you'regoing. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hotair. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and youexpect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position youwere in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

Shes right, but she only takes this view or stance in this instance because it is expedient politicly to do so. She looks tough and and resolved to the average news watching moron. Also if you have not noticed many GOP voters are getting sick of GWB. So while I can confidently say this is not her true personal view, she is making the expedient play here.

Originally Posted By Hank_Rearden1:A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost

She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below.

She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend Iwould meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The sailor consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot airballoon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feetabove sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolled her eyes and yelled down, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technicallycorrect, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'mstill lost. Frankly, you've been no help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "Then you must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you'regoing. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hotair. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and youexpect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position youwere in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

London -- President Clinton has waived the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act aspart of an overall strategy "to deter Iran from acquiring weapons ofmass destruction and promoting terrorism."

Clinton announced his decision at a May 18 joint news conference withBritain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and European Union (EU) PresidentJacques Santer, following their summit meeting.

He said he was able to waive the sanctions because the 15 EU nations"have agreed to enhance their cooperation" with the United States"with regard to Iran." Russia, he noted, also "has taken importantsteps to strengthen controls over the export of sensitive technology,notably, but not exclusively, to Iran."

The US Congress enacted the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act in 1996 inresponse to the support those two countries have given tointernational terrorists. It requires the President to imposesanctions against foreign companies that invest $40 million during anyone year period for development of Iranian or Libyan petroleumresources. The President may waive imposition of the sanctions if hedetermines that it would be in the national interest of the UnitedStates.

EU countries have strongly objected to this legislation.

A US official said Clinton consulted with Congress before he acted andbelieves there will be congressional support for his action.

The EU member states, Clinton said, "will step up efforts to preventthe transfer of technology that could be used to develop weapons ofdestruction, they have agreed to work toward the ratification of all11 counter-terrorism conventions, and we agreed to cooperate in thedevelopment of Caspian energy resources."

The EU nations and the United States "share an interest in combatingterrorism and limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction,"Clinton said, adding "we are, I hope, all more sensitive in light ofthe recent events in South Asia," a reference to India's May 11 andMay 13 nuclear bomb tests.

Clinton also announced a US-EU agreement on "a path-breaking commonapproach to deter investment in illegally expropriated property aroundthe world including, but not limited to, Cuba." The United States andthe EU member states, he said, "will deny all forms of commercialassistance for these transactions -- including loans, grants,subsidies, fiscal advantages, guarantees, political risk insurance.

"This understanding furthers the goals of protecting property rightsin Cuba and worldwide, advances the interests of US claimants andprotects US investors, and does so far more effectively than theUnited States could have done alone," the President said, and furthers"the objectives of the European Union in getting away from theunilateral sanctions regime."

On other matters, Clinton said the EU and the United States "agreed towork together with Russia to strengthen nuclear safety" especiallywith regard to nuclear waste removal and storage in northwest Russia.In addition, he said, "We will work together to encourage Ukraine toembark on bold economic reform and to speed the closure of theChernobyl reactors."

Clinton announced that the United States and the European Union werehonoring "50 exceptional individuals from Europe's new democracies fortheir work in helping freedom take strong root across the continent."The 50 are the first recipients of the EU-US Democracy and CivilSociety Awards.

The President suggested that the participants in the upcoming May 22vote on the proposed Northern Ireland political settlement should be"thinking about the future; thinking about their children. And I thinkthe risk of doing this is so much smaller than the risk of letting itblow apart that I believe, in the end, a lot of the undecided voterswill go in and vote their hopes instead of their fears....

"I believe that if the voters who actually weigh the merits of thesubstance and think rationally about what the alternatives are if thisfails and if it succeeds will overwhelming vote yes," Clinton said.

The President suggested that the Middle East peace talks are at astage where "anything I say publicly to characterize the positiontaken by Mr. Netanyahu or anybody else in the back-and-forth wouldalmost certainly reduce the chances of our being able to get anagreement which would move the parties to final status and reducedramatically the tensions in the region."

He said the parties involved "have been working hard" in "honest andearnest good faith... If we get something we can say, believe me, I'dbe the first one to the microphone. I would be very happy."

Clinton said the United States believes there should be an "honorablesettlement" to the Greek-Turkish conflict over Cyprus because it andother Aegean issues "are keeping Turkey and Greece from being genuineallies, and being genuinely available to spend their time, theirenergy and their resources promoting peace and development for theirown people and being enormous stabilizing forces in their respectiveregions of Europe."

Regarding the crisis in Indonesia, Clinton said the United Stateswants the country "to come back together, not come apart. We want themilitary to continue to exercise maximum restraint so there will beminimum loss of life and injury."

The President acknowledged that Indonesia is "headed for some toughtimes" because tough economic decisions have to be made. "But theabsence of a sense of political dialogue and ... involvement obviouslyhas contributed to the difficulties there," he said.

He said the United States hopes for "the restoration of order withoutviolence and the genuine opening of a political dialogue that givesall parties in the country a feeling that they are a part of it."